The present invention relates to apparatus and methods for cooling drinks in a bottle and more particularly to an ice mold for forming an ice ring on the inner surface of a drink bottle and a method for forming such an ice ring.
It has become common for people to carry a personal drink bottle of water, ice tea, sports drink or other soft drink with them at essentially all times. Generally, the bottles are plastic and have a screw top. By replacing the top on a partially used bottle, it may be carried, e.g. in a pocket, purse, backpack, etc., without spilling. Many of the bottles have a valve built into the screw top and are referred to as sports bottles because the valve top allows the user to open and close the bottle without removing the top, thereby facilitating the ability of the user to drink from the bottle while walking, running, etc. without spilling the drink.
It is also common for people to cool their drinks with ice. The ice is normally in the form of ice cubes placed into a glass or mug along with a selected drink. It is essentially impossible to place ice cubes in personal drink bottles since ice cubes will not fit through the neck of the bottle. As a result, the drink bottle must be placed in a refrigerator, ice bucket, or other cooling device for sufficient time to cool the drink in advance of the time it is needed. Such pre-chilling does not provide the same continued chilling effect as having actual ice mixed with the drink.
While personal drink bottles are generally considered to be disposable, many people reuse the bottles by refilling them with tap water or with their favorite drink from a larger container. The reuse of such bottles is popular because it is an effective way for people to simultaneously economize and preserve natural resources. It would be desirable, therefore, to provide a system for cooling drinks in personal drink bottles, especially in conjunction with the reuse of personal drink bottles.
Other drink bottles are intended for reuse. In contrast to disposable drink bottles, reusable drink bottles are typically designed to withstand repeated uses. Accordingly, reusable drink bottles are often constructed of more durable and/or flexible materials. Oftentimes, reusable drink bottles are also better suited to resist permanent deformation. For example, some reusable drink bottles are designed for carrying in a holding fixture mounted on the frame of a bicycle. Despite their superiority over disposable bottles, These bottles also share the problem of having a relatively small neck which prevents the insertion of ice cubes.
The present invention provides a mold system for forming an ice ring on the inner surface of a drink bottle. The system includes a cylindrical shaft sized to fit through a bottle neck and to extend part way into the bottle interior. On one end of the shaft is a seal member which forms a water tight seal between the mold and the neck of the bottle.
The method of the present invention includes placing a selected amount of a drink in a bottle and inserting the shaft through the neck of the bottle until the seal member forms a water tight seal with the neck. The bottle is then inverted by placing the neck side down in a freezer until the drink is frozen. The mold is then removed, leaving a ring of ice on the upper inner surface of the drink bottle. The bottle is then returned to the upright position and refilled through the ice ring with a selected drink. The ice ring will then act to chill the selected drink in various fashions. For example, if a sufficient amount of the selected drink is added to the bottle, the ice ring will be submerged in the selected drink. The selected drink may be further chilled as it flows through the ice ring whenever the user drinks from the bottle. The ice ring may also detach itself from the upper inner surface of the drink bottle and begin floating in the selected drink. For certain bottle geometries, detachment of the ice ring may occur almost immediately after the bottle is returned to the upright position. For others, a period of time which allows a portion of the ice ring to melt must elapse before the ice ring will detach from the upper inner surface of the drink bottle.
In one embodiment the mold has a fluid passageway from one end to the other. In this embodiment, the mold may be inserted into the drink bottle and water may be poured through the mold into the drink bottle. In this embodiment, the mold may act as a measuring device. When the drink bottle is inverted for freezing, any excess water is released through the mold.
In another embodiment, the shaft has a handle on one end, opposite the end to be inserted into the drink bottle. The handle preferably has a generally flat surface perpendicular to the central axis of the mold. The handle aids in insertion of the mold into the drink bottle and removal therefrom. The flat surface also acts as a supporting stand for positioning the drink bottle in an inverted position while the water is frozen. In the embodiment with a fluid passageway, the passageway extends through the handle.